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The location for a special charity concert in Newcastle by a multi-award-winning rock band has been revealed.

Coldplay will play an intimate gig at the Journal Tyne Theatre on 20 December to raise awareness of the problem of homelessness.

The supporting act will be an acclaimed choir made up of homeless people and others on the fringes of society.

All proceeds from ticket sales for the concert will go to Crisis, a charity that helps homeless people.

Newcastle and Liverpool

Coldplay agreed to play their only two UK dates of 2010 in aid of Crisis, and Newcastle and Liverpool were chosen to be the lucky host cities.

So why Newcastle? Well, the city is home to a Crisis Skylight training and employment centre for single homeless people.

It offers practical and creative workshops with formal learning opportunities that lead to qualifications and finding work and which help local people move forward with their lives.

And why Liverpool? Following the success of the centre in Newcastle Crisis have plans to set up a new service in Liverpool by Autumn 2011.

Sold out

Tickets for both gigs went on sale on Friday 12 November 2010, and general tickets sold out within eight minutes, raising £84,056 for the charity.

The following week, a further 400 tickets and 60 VIP tickets were released, available to the highest bidders via online auction. This brought in an impressive £154,589.47 - bringing the total amount raised so far to almost a quarter of a million pounds.

Secret

The exact venues for the gigs were kept under wraps until around 24 hours before the performances.

The idea behind keeping it a secret was to give people a taste of the uncertainty faced by the thousands of homeless people who do not know where they will spend the night.

Chris Martin playing the piano in Newcastle in 2005

Unique

Coldplay are not the only treat for the lucky few who have managed to get tickets for the Newcastle concert.

Geordie BAFTA award-winning television presenters Ant and Dec will compère the event.

The support act will be The Choir with No Name - Britain's first "homeless choir" made up of people who have no permanent home or who have only recently been housed.

It was founded on the principle that singing makes you feel good and can help build confidence and provide a social network for people who find themselves on the fringes of society.

Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: "To have the backing of Coldplay brings something unique to Crisis this Christmas.

"We know that their support and millions of fans will help shine a light on the thousands of hidden homeless people we strive to help year round who are all too often forgotten - particularly at Christmas when we know the pain of homelessness can be particularly acute."

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